The purpose of this study is to answer two basic
questions concerning reflexive and reciprocal pronouns in the New
Testament: (1) What are the syntactic constraints on reflexives, that
determine when they may be used? (2) What are the semantic constraints
that determine when in fact they are used? In answering the first question
the author considers both reflexives and reciprocals and discuss the whole
NT; for the second, the author attempts to suggest answers for third
person reflexives and based only on the Pauline Epistles commonly
recognized as authentic.

Patrick A. Tiller
46
1 Cor 10:29 suneidhsin de; le;gw oujci; th;n eJautou` ajlla; th;n tou` eJtevrou.
v
conscience but I-say not the of-yourself but the of-the other.
Now I do not mean your own conscience but that of the other.
However the problem with this sentence is not that the antecedent is
in a governing clause but that the antecedent is not in the sentence at all.
This verse is a special case that must be dealt with only after some gener-
al rules have been demonstrated.
Direct Reflexives
After I have established some general principles, I will return to the
attempt to define indirect reflexives in a way that is useful for the NT. The
question now is whether the trigger is best defined as the subject of the
clause (syntactic constraint) or as the agent of the action which the reflex-
ive receives (semantic constraint) or as something else.
The trigger of the direct reflexive (or reciprocal) is nearly always both the
subject of the clause (whether expressed or implied in the verbal inflection)
in which the reflexive is found and the agent of the action of the clause.
Word order is not decisive; the reflexive may follow or precede its trigger.
Gal 2:12 upestellen kai; ajfwvrizen eJauto;n
Jv
(he)-withdrew and separated himself
Rom 14:7 oudei~ ga;r hJmw'n eJautw'/
j; zh`
no-one for of-us to-himself lives
For none of us lives to himself.
2 Cor 13:5 eautou~ peiravzete
J ;
yourselves test (imperative)
Rom 5:8 sunisthsin de; th;n eJautou` ajgavphn eij~ hJma`~ oJ qeov~
v
demonstrates but the of-himself love for us [the] God
But God demonstrates his love for us.
But the trigger is not always directly the agent of the action, especial-
ly in the case of passive verbs.
Gal 5:15 blepete mh; uJpâ€™ allhlwn ajnalwqh`te.
v jv
See lest by one-another you-be-consumed.
Matt 12:25 pasa basileiva merisqei`sa kaqâ€™ eauth~ ejrhmou`tai ...
` J `
every kingdom divided against itself is-depopulated ...9
9
Some would consider this to be an example of an indirect reflexive. I have includ-
ed it here because of the amazing scarcity of reflexives with a passive verb. My discussion
of indirect reflexives will show that I am correct in listing it here as a direct reflexive.